Being sued by Citi Financial

[debtmonster]

a house should cost the retail price of materials plus labor to build it and not a penny more. Land is what tends to become very overpriced. $100 grand and acre like in my area is rediculous.

amen to that

[2Bshinyandnew]

What changed between 2003 and 2004 construction-wise? There are some great old houses for sale cheap with beautiful trim and detailing that is never duplicated in today's building industry. I love old homes!

uh oh...I predict a potential epic Debtmonster-real estate value thread coming...

(jk...I<3U Debtmonster! )

[debtmonster]

uh oh...I predict a potential epic Debtmonster-real estate value thread coming...

(jk...I<3U Debtmonster! )

I would love to... but I don't have a lot of experience in that yet, otherwise I would get into it.

[Willy13]

I love old homes, too... But I love having my electric bill for heat or cold be $80-120. They can KEEP that $400-500/mo. heating oil bill up north. NO THANKS. That's like a payment of a nice car for that crap.

Hi efficiency Wood Stoves are a wonderful thing. A little work but oh so cheap.

[debtmonster]

It gets down to about 18-20 degrees where I live and my electric bill to heat the home has peaked at $150. Why can't people up north just copy my set up instead of paying $300-600/mo. for a heating bill?

Why don't people gut their houses and double or triple the insulation? Wouldn't that be cheaper than spending $500/mo. on heating, year after year after year? These sound like the same people who refuse to use Amsoil. They just don't sit down and do the math. Wouldn't it be cheaper to tear the walls out, put insulation and put the walls back and give all that money to the oil companies? I don't understand why people are all such masochists that LOVE to blow money for nothing.

[OhioFiler]

It gets down to about 18-20 degrees where I live and my electric bill to heat the home has peaked at $150. Why can't people up north just copy my set up instead of paying $300-600/mo. for a heating bill?

Why don't people gut their houses and double or triple the insulation? Wouldn't that be cheaper than spending $500/mo. on heating, year after year after year?

My furnace runs on Amsoil and it only costs me $72/month. If I used Mobil 1 in the furnace it would cost me $160/month!

[debtmonster]

My furnace runs on Amsoil and it only costs me $72/month. If I used Mobil 1 in the furnace it would cost me $160/month!

You're learning!

Now I am just trying to figure out what causes people to complain that they are broke and not lift a finger to save money. It's like people just love being masochists and do self-inflicting pain on themselves.

[Willy13]

You're learning!

Now I am just trying to figure out what causes people to complain that they are broke and not lift a finger to save money. It's like people just love being masochists and do self-inflicting pain on themselves.

Yeah I wonder that also sometimes. Here is what we do. Fridge and Freezer are in the coldest rooms in the house. Hot water heater is on a timer and runs once per day. Laundry is dried on a clothes line most of the time. Heat is all Wood Stove. Cooking is Woodstove, Small Gas stove, toaster oven and microwave. The electric range rarely gets used. All light bulbs are flourescent. Most electronics are energy star. In the summer we suck cold air from the basment through the house and only use AC when absolutely necessary. Our total Electric averages around $180 a month. According to our electric company web site, the average houshold in our area is $689 a month. I'm still looking for ways to save. I'll only be happy when our electric bill is $0

[debtmonster]

$689 is cheap. Most people I know pay $1200-2500/mo. Why can't South Florida have the same prices of homes as you guys have? It's not like $90k jobs are all over to justify the high costs. I don't know where people are getting the money. Not everyone can be a drug dealer.

[Willy13]

$689 is cheap. Most people I know pay $1200-2500/mo. Why can't South Florida have the same prices of homes as you guys have? It's not like $90k jobs are all over to justify the high costs. I don't know where people are getting the money. Not everyone can be a drug dealer.

$1200-$2500 a month for Electric! That is unreal. I'm guessing South Florida means lots of AC and Pool filters but even with that it's hard to comprehend. You must have really high electric rates. Our rates are around 13 cents per kwh total.

[mkuki]

... I don't know where people are getting the money. Not everyone can be a drug dealer.

This line made my day...LOL!

[debtmonster]

My mistake... I thought "housing" was $689/mo. I was on the phone and had somebody talking to me while I was in the middle of reading and replying to that message.

Most people I know pay $120-300/mo. for their electric in Miami. All my life, most of my electric bills have been $80-150/mo. all year round.

[Willy13]

My mistake... I thought "housing" was $689/mo. I was on the phone and had somebody talking to me while I was in the middle of reading and replying to that message.

Most people I know pay $120-300/mo. for their electric in Miami. All my life, most of my electric bills have been $80-150/mo. all year round.

Thats more like it. Of course now I'm pissed off because I really feel our utilities are ripping us off now.

[debtmonster]

Thats more like it. Of course now I'm pissed off because I really feel our utilities are ripping us off now.

That's what I've been saying all along.

For the life of me, I don't understand why so many people pay those outrageous amounts and just sit back and take it. I would be FURIOUS if I had to pay the same payment on my utilities that I could lease a nice Hummer H2 or BMW 6-seris with.

For $500-600/mo., I'd be calling a contractor and have all of the walls on the outer perimeter of the house ripped off and have all new insulation installed and then I'd do the same with the attic. I would make my house like a thermos if I lived way up north. I've seen some of those old houses made of all thin wood and crap. I wouldn't put up with that.

[jeb]

A house should cost the retail price of materials plus labor to build it and not a penny more. Land is what tends to become very overpriced. $100 grand and acre like in my area is rediculous.

A house should cost what someone is willing to pay for it.

And that is what caused the problem - shortly after Bush came in he stated that "everyone should own their own home", and that started the spiral that put us where we are today. Turned the lender loose, they made loans to people that should not have been in the market, more buyers and prices go out of sight.

Now, less buyers, more on the market and prices drop like a rock. THAT is now the market works if left alone - up, down, up, down, up, down - big swings back and forth. And the people with money make more money - both as it goes up and as it goes down - and the people on the bottom get killed.

With a little oversite, things can be what we had for years in this country - a REASONABLE, STEADY GROWTH. - jb